How to Build a Frugal Backyard Fire Pit

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How to Build a Frugal Backyard Fire Pit

Overview

A backyard fire pit can be a nice amenity for cold nights and a great way to cook food on open flames. High-quality fire pits consisting of metal, brick and other materials look nice, but often require professional help and the materials often cost a lot. An alternative is building a simple campfire-style fire pit with basic tools and materials, which saves the cost of labor and paying for most materials.

Step 1

Find a flat area in your yard where you can put in a fire pit. An area with a slight circular depression will also work.

Step 2

Decide how large a fire pit you want and use a shovel to dig out a shallow circular depression that is roughly the size you need. The depression only needs to be a couple of inches deep, but make sure to remove grass, leaves and other flammable materials, leaving only dirt and sand.

Step 3

Estimate the number of large stones that you will need with a yard stick, by placing a wooden stake about every 9 inches along the perimeter of the fire pit (the exact number will depend on the size of your stones.). Stones that are close to head size work well.

Step 4

Place the required number of stones, plus a few extra, in a wheelbarrow and bring them to the fire pit. If you have stones on your property you can just move them, otherwise you may need to purchase landscaping rock.

Step 5

Unload the stones, placing one at each of the stakes that you set out earlier. If the ring has too many gaps, use an extra stone or two to tighten the circle. You can use your shovel to dig out small indentations for the stones as you lay them to keep them from moving around.

Things You'll Need

Large stones

Shovel

Yard stick

Wheelbarrow

Wooden stakes

References

Making a stone fire pit

Different Fire Pit Designs

Keywords:
cheap fire pit, outdoor fire pit, stone fire pit

About this Author

Gregory Hamel has been a freelance writer with Demand Studios since September 2008. Hamel is also a contributing writer on eHow.com and has authored two young adult science fantasy novels. He has a Bachelor of Arts in economics from St. Olaf College.